Word count:
574 

Text Summary
The little Hoppers are very excited to set off fireworks for Independence Day. But Mother and Papa Hopper know that fireworks are not safe for young rabbits. Though the Hoppers are disappointed, they are soon happy again when Grandpa Grizzly suggests they have a picnic in the woods - a picnic with a very special surprise at the end. 

Lesson Objectives

Students will:

• Connect prior knowledge and experience with the text
• Recognize and decode words with variant vowel oo
• Identify and correctly capitalize proper nouns 

Materials:

• Book - Independence Day (copy for each student)
• Chalkboard or chart paper
• Worksheets 1 and 2
• Highlighters or colored markers 

Before Reading 

Build Background

• Help students make a personal connection to the text by inviting them to talk about their experiences with Independence Day. Ask them what Independence Day celebrates. Talk about how different nations around the world celebrate Independence Day.
• Hand out Worksheet 1. Have students write a brief description of an Independence Day celebration they remember. They can create a list of things that they did, or they can write a brief narrative about their Independence Day celebration. Tell them that after they read, they will retell the Hoppers' Independence Day celebration and compare their own experience to the text.
• Have students describe their favorite fireworks. Where and when have they seen fireworks?
• Ask students if they have ever been on a picnic. Where did they go? What did they eat?
• If students have read other Hoppers stories, discuss the characters and their previous adventures. Ask for volunteers to retell their favorite Hoppers stories. Point out the roles that Snubby Nose and Grandpa Grizzly play in the stories. 

Preview the Book

• Show students the front and back covers of the book. Have students read the title. Point out the illustrator's name and talk about the illustrations. What do students think might happen in the book?
• Open the book to the title page. Have students look at the illustration. Ask them how they think the Hoppers will celebrate Independence Day.
• Preview some of the other illustrations in the book and elicit predictions about the story. Encourage students to connect their own ideas about Independence Day with what might happen in the book. Tell them that it can help them understand a text if they have had some experience with the subject in real life. 

Set the Purpose
Tell students that they will read the book to see how the Hoppers celebrate Independence Day. As they read, they should think about how they celebrate Independence Day themselves and how the Hoppers' celebration is similar or different. 

During Reading 

Word-Attack Strategies
Remind students to use any or all of the following strategies if they come to an unfamiliar word:

• Reread the sentence for context clues.
• Sound out the word using known sound/symbol relationships.
• Look for known prefixes, suffixes, and root words.
• Keep reading and think about what might make sense. 

Student Reading
Give each student a book and instruct students to read silently at their own paces. Monitor student reading. If it appears that a student is having difficulty, provide a model of one of the above reading strategies. You may also wish to suggest that they think about the things they associate with Independence Day. Can they think of a word they associate with Independence Day that might fit? 

After Reading 

Reflect on Reading Strategies
Discuss with students:

• How using prior knowledge helped them understand what they read. Ask them to explain how they were able to connect their own experiences with Independence Day to the Hoppers' celebration.
• What word-attack strategies did they use while reading? Have a volunteer identify a problematic word and recount how he or she decoded the word or figured it out using context clues. 

Comprehension
Connect Prior Knowledge and Experience with Text
Model

• Begin by recounting a memorable Independence Day or other national celebration from your own childhood. Talk about what you and your family did to celebrate the day. Talk about any food you ate, where you went, and any fireworks you saw. Mention whether you were allowed to set off fireworks as a child, and, if you choose, go over a brief safety lesson on avoiding fire and flammable or explosive materials.
• On the board or chart paper, write a list or a brief narrative of your experience in the same format as Worksheet 1.

Guided Practice

• Have students turn to the book. Ask a volunteer to retell the story of the Hoppers' Independence Day celebration. Note the sequence and accuracy of the retelling.
• Ask volunteers to find similarities between your Independence Day celebration on the board and the Hoppers' celebration. Did you both see fireworks? Did you both have a fire with marshmallows?
• Ask volunteers to point out the differences between your celebration and the Hoppers'. Was yours in the park instead of in the woods? Did you eat tortillas and beans instead of sandwiches and lemonade?

Independent Practice

• Have students return to the worksheet. In the second column, ask students to retell what the Hoppers did to celebrate Independence Day. Again, they may either write a narrative or a list. Then, in the third column, have students list the similarities and differences between their celebration and the Hoppers'. If students have time, allow them to draw pictures of the two celebrations on the worksheet. 

Building Skills 

Phonics
Recognize and Decode Words with Variant Vowel oo

• Have students look at the fourth paragraph on page 7 and find two words with the variant vowel oo. Students will find good and food.
• Have students read the sentences out loud. How is the oo pronounced in good? In food? Explain that the variant vowel oo can be pronounced as short or long /u/.
• Have students look for other oo words on the page spread. They will find hooray, cookies, and soon.
• Have students use highlighters or colored markers to go through the book and mark any oo words. If they like, they can use one color to mark words pronounced as short /u/, and another to mark those pronounced with long /u/. Which pronunciation is more common? Tell students that when they come to an unfamiliar word that has the variant vowel oo, they will need to try both sounds to see which makes sense. 

Grammar, Mechanics, and Usage
Identify and Correctly Capitalize Proper Nouns

• Remind students that nouns name people, places, things, and ideas. Have students turn to page 4 and name all the nouns (Speedy Legs, firecrackers, Fluffy Tail, sky rockets, Floppy Ears, fountains, Independence Day, Snubby Nose)
• Have students highlight all of the nouns on page 4 that are capitalized. Ask them why they think those nouns have capital letters.
• Explain that when a noun names a specific person, place, or thing, it is called a proper noun. Proper nouns are usually names of one form or another. Have students brainstorm all the categories of words that require proper nouns, such as first names, last names, holidays, months, countries, cities, specific land forms, etc.
• Hand out Worksheet 2. Explain that students are to read the sentences. The nouns in the sentences are missing their first letters. In the space provided, students should write a capital letter in front of the proper nouns and a lowercase letter in front of the regular nouns. The letter is written below each word in parentheses. 

Fluency

• Allow students to read Independence Day independently or with a partner. Partners can take turns reading from the book.
• Have students take the book home to read with parents, caregivers, siblings, or friends. 

Expand the Reading 

Safety Connection

• You may wish to invite a local fire official to your class to speak about fireworks and fire safety. Students can make a chart of the do's and don't's of fire and fireworks safety. At the top of any list, remind students that they should never handle fire or flammable materials - only adults should handle these things. 

Social Studies Connection

• Students can research Independence Days around the world. Using a large calendar, have students mark national Independence Days. Students can research various nations' Independence Day celebrations and write individual or group reports on the festivities and their histories. 

Assessment  

• Using Worksheet 1 and student discussion, assess how well students can relate a text to real-life experiences. Monitor their discussion during the Reflect on Reading Strategies section to determine if students can use prior information to aid decoding and comprehension.
• Note whether students can distinguish between the pronunciations of variant vowel oo
• Review completed Worksheet 2 to determine how well students can identify and capitalize proper nouns. Ensure that students are not capitalizing non-proper nouns.